Moments in Love
by Dramione27
Summary: There are some moments that are especially significant to a man in love. Dramione. Oneshot. DMAG RWHG SMRW.


There are some moments that are especially significant to a man in love;

The moment you first realise you're in love;

But Ron was staring at Hermione as though suddenly seeing her in a whole new light. "Hermione, Neville's right - you are a girl…"  
"Oh, well spotted," she said acidly,  
"Well - you can come with one of us!"  
"No, I can't," snapped Hermione  
"Oh, come on," he said impatiently, "We need partners, we're going to look really stupid if we haven't got any, everyone else has…"  
"I can't come with you," said Hermione, now blushing, "because I'm already going with someone."

"Is there any room in this compartment?" a brown haired girl asked from the doorway. The compartment did have two empty seats; he nodded towards Crabbe and Goyle.  
"Put your feet down lads. Let the girl sit." She smiled graciously at him, flashing near-perfect teeth and deep brown eyes,  
"Thankyou so much. I'm Hermione Granger." She held out her hand, no one shook but they did introduce themselves. "All the other compartments seemed full or the students were much older. Are you first years?" She said in a demanding and bossy tone.  
"Yes,"  
"What house do you think you'll be in?" another asked,  
"I think Ravenclaw…well any of them would be great…I wouldn't fancy landing in Hufflepuff though. Or Slytherin, Slytherin sounds very dark." The boy cringed when she mentioned her disdain for the darker house so she hurriedly changed the subject. "What about you?"  
"Slytherin. My whole family has been in Slytherin."  
"Oh." An awkward silence followed. She changed tack again. "I can't wait to get to school; I want to learn all about Magic," she said in wonderment.  
"Are you a muggle?" Pansy asked with a sneer about her mouth, the brown-haired girl lowered her eyes to the ground. "Draco, Draco! She's a muggle, Draco." Pansy Parkinson started laughing uproariously, "Oh dear, Draco, I've never heard anything so hilarious!"  
"Parkinson," he barked as he saw the girl wipe a tear from her face and stand to leave.  
"Well it really was lovely of you to let me sit he-" just then she was interrupted as the compartment door slid open,  
"Have any of you seen a toad? I've lost mine. My Gran will kill me."  
"Don't blame you, if I had a toad I'd lose it too," the boy in the corner spoke up and the rest of them laughed (although the blonde-haired boy did so with a shade of remorse in his eyes).  
"No I haven't seen a toad sorry," she sniffed, "but I was just leaving. I can help you look."  
"Great, thanks. My name's Neville by the way,"  
"Nice to meet you, I'm Hermione Granger."

The moment you first feel the love may be reciprocated;

Ron was now holding Hermione and stroking her hair while he sobbed into her shoulder, tears dripping from the end of his own long nose.

"Damn it!" he cried as he chased a niffler who had escaped from the Care of Magical Creatures class. He chased it from the small, dug-out clearing with the leprechaun gold to the edge of the forbidden forest. "That's it, it's lost."  
"Malfoy, what are you-"  
"Go away Mudblood!" she stopped moving and stood still taking a few deep breaths, she shook her head in defeat and turned,  
"It's a niffler Malfoy, it searches for gold," she said quietly before walking away. He pulled out a piece of the leprechaun gold he had greedily hid away and placed it on the ground ready to reattach the leash to his niffler. Quickly it scuttled out of its hiding place and using his seeker reflexes he attached the lead. The rest of the class went by uneventfully until they gave the nifflers back at the end of class.  
"Granger?" she turned to look up at him giving him a view right into her big brown eyes. "Thanks."  
His cheeks tinged pink as she nodded and said "You're welcome Malfoy." But as she was walking away he couldn't miss the hint of a smile she gave him, a taste of that warm, gracious smile from years beforehand.

The moment you first tell her you love her;

"Slow down Hermione!" he pleaded,  
"No Ronald," she maintained her rushed stride, "I don't think this is working out, I love you but I'm just not sure…"  
"But Hermione, I love you!" She stopped and turned towards him,  
"You really do?"  
"I've never even loved anybody else Hermione, it's always been you."

"What is your problem Malfoy?" she asked as he sat across from her desk with tears streaming down his face unabashedly.  
"You're getting married."  
"So?" he looked up at her,  
"You know for a genius you can be pretty damned stupid!" he shouted.  
"What are you trying to-?"  
"I love you Hermione." He now was standing with his face very close to hers. "And every time I see you I feel lighter." He swallowed thickly, "and every time I see that fucking ring it's like twisting the knife."  
"I'm sorry, I had-"  
"No idea…it's fine. Who would expect the pure-blooded Death Eater to have feelings?" Then it was as if she suddenly noticed how close he was because she took a few steps back and sat down.  
"I always knew you could feel Malfoy." He set his face into its usual sneer as he snatched his cloak from its position slung over the back of the chair. "For what it's worth Draco, I never hated you." He shook his head as he stepped from the room and slammed the door shut.

When a man sees the woman he loves coming down the aisle;

He looked quite sickly with a definite green tinge to his face as the music started playing and the bridal procession made its way down the aisle. _What if she says no?_ Last but not least his bride made her steady way down the aisle and as he caught her eye she smiled at him encouragingly and suddenly the only words on his lips were 'I do'.

He sat in the back row as the bride made her way down the aisle, he saw her catch Weasley's eye and smile that stunning gracious smile. When he first received the invitation he thought it was a mistake, then he got very confused and thought that maybe, subconsciously, she didn't want to marry the Weasel and that was why she'd invited him. He had arrived that day fully prepared to speak. But may he forever hold his peace because the moment he saw her smile that beautiful smile he changed his mind. He decided that she had made her choice.

The moment a man finds out the woman he loves is pregnant;

She shuffled out of the bathroom awkwardly and looked at him on the bed, "We're pregnant!" she ran to him and flung her arms around his shoulders.  
"I love you Hermione,"  
"I love you too Ron."

He was walking down Diagon Alley to the apothecary when he saw her there, struggling with her purchases. He strolled over to her, "Need some help?"  
"Yes, thankyou so much," it was then that she looked up, "Malfoy?" and at that same moment he looked down and saw her swollen, pregnant belly.  
"Granger," he swallowed thickly but still took some of the paper-wrapped parcels from her hands. They walked for a few minutes in silence. "So, you're having a child?"  
"Yes, a little boy, I'm due in about two months." He nodded, another awkward silence ensued. "So how are you doing Draco?"  
"I'm alright actually," she smiled encouragingly and it was _almost_ an exact replica of the smile she wore on September first of their first year. "I've been seeing this girl Astoria." Hermione nodded and listened intently to his story about the girl he would never love as much as he loved her.  
The story came to its end as they rounded one last bend and reached the Leaky Cauldron, "Well this is me," she said as she lifted the parcels from his hands, "Thankyou so much for the help, Draco, I really appreciate it." She smiled a genuine smile that was so close to the smile he remembered that he would have cried but he just watched as she made her way through the hustle and bustle of the Leaky Cauldron.

The moment a man welcomes a child into the world;

The first time he had feinted as she pushed the child out of her. For the second child he had at least managed to stay conscious, even if he refused to look at any of 'the action' or hold the baby until it was 'cleaned up'. She immediately pulled the child into her arms and held it tightly to her chest. "Rose," she muttered as Ron swayed at her bedside and lost consciousness. She went walking, took her small baby around the halls, humming and whispering to it. "Granger?" a familiar voice asked at the end of the corridor.  
"Malfoy?" she asked softly, "What on Earth are you doing here?"  
"My wife, Astoria, she just had a baby. I have a son." She took in his appearance,  
"You could be happier about it you know? I won't tell anyone." He rolled his eyes.  
"I think I'm a little scared."  
"You won't be," she muttered softly, "once you look into his eyes," she smiled that beautiful gracious smile at the almost sleeping infant in her arms, "everything just sort of clicks into place."

He stood over the small bassinet expecting to feel nothing but contempt for the small being inside it. The pure reason he wasn't with the love of his life; his pure heir. His father would be so proud. But as he looked over the edge of that crib…he couldn't describe it. He felt this sudden, unexplainable connection. He felt he could live forever simply because this little creature would keep him alive forever. He realised that although he didn't have the love of his life he would have a good life. He had a good wife, he had a good fortune and now he had a good son and heir. His father could have wished for nothing more.

The child's first day at school;

"Hugo!" she barked, "Leave your sister alone." She turned to the front door, "Ron!" she called, "When are you going to load the kids' trunks into the car?"  
"I'm doing it now Hermione, calm down."  
"I asked you to do it an hour ago. If we are late to Kings Cross again this year Ronald, I swear I will-"  
"Chill, Hermione. It's done, we have more than an hour to get there," he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her neck. "Relax; we've done this before,"  
"I just can't believe Rose is going off to Hogwarts."  
"Hey, look at the bright side; we'll have the house to ourselves." She grinned wickedly.  
They arrived at the station with plenty of time to spare and after the 'Grandad Weasley would never forgive you' incident Hermione decided to take her daughter aside and give her some perspective. "Rose, I want you to ignore absolutely everything your father has ever told you about the Malfoy's, Scorpius and his family have endured hardships you couldn't even imagine. I want you to keep an open mind. I want you to work hard because believe me (though at times it may not feel like it) it definitely pays off. And lastly Rose," the young girl looked confused at the tears falling from her mother's eyes, "Don't you ever let anyone get away with calling you a mudblood."

He looked over at his son as he prepared to board the train, "Scorpius," he called, his wife looked at him oddly, "Just give me a minute Astoria." He pulled his son away from the hustle and bustle and squatted to his height. "It doesn't matter what house you're sorted into."  
"But father, I'm a Mal-"  
"It doesn't matter Scorpius." He looked over at his son. "Don't let anyone tell you who you are. Don't let anyone tell you who to be or who to befriend. Don't repeat my mistakes. And please," he grabbed his sons chin and turned his head back, "and this is of the utmost importance," he looked deeply into his son's eyes, "Never tickle a sleeping dragon." Scorpius looked to his father as if he had lost his mind but kissed his mother and boarded the train. The last sight he saw was his son looking inquisitively at a young red-headed girl who was crying and waving to her family.

The moment his child Marries;

He walked petulantly past a board that said 'Malfoy-Weasley wedding' and made his way to the excited girls of the bridal procession. He walked in to find his mother yelling at a young William Lupin to change his hair back to its normal brown in light of some of Hermione's muggle relatives. Then his wife, already in tears, adjusting his daughter's veil. "Oh Rose, you look so beautiful," the photographers (both muggle and magical) buzzed around in the background. His eyes met with his daughter's through the mirror,  
"You sure you want to do this Rose? I mean he is a Malfoy?"  
"You better be careful dad, I'll be a proud Malfoy soon and one more jab like that and I might have to use Aunt Ginny's bat bogey hex on you."  
Hermione smiled at her daughter. "I'm so proud of you Rose," tears welled up again.  
"Stop it mum, you'll make me cry,"  
Hermione took a few deep breaths and calmed herself, "You're right."

"You ready Scorpius?"  
"Ready? Are you kidding, I just want the ceremony to be over with,"  
"I was exactly the same when I married your mother,"  
"I wish mum could have been here."

Hermione let go of her husband and stumbled slightly as she made her way to the bar. On the way she passed a lonely looking Draco Malfoy sitting next to a seat that had been left empty out of respect for his late wife. "Do you mind if I sit here Malfoy?"  
"That seat was always made for you Hermione," she sighed,  
"You shouldn't talk like that Draco,"  
"It's the truth, has been practically my entire life."  
"You had a beautiful wife." She fingered the place-card, "And together you had a very beautiful son."  
"I have been blessed."  
"We've both been blessed."

The moment his true love outlives him;

Hermione held his hand in defiance, "You're not going to die Ron, you're fine."  
"You never were a very good liar."  
She sniffed as tears ran down her face. "I just can't believe you're going to leave me all alone."  
"If I had the choice, you know I wouldn't"  
"I know," she wiped a tear from the end of her nose.  
"Be strong Hermione; be strong for Hugo and Rose."  
"I love you,"  
"I love you too,"  
"I'm going to miss you,"  
"I'll be watching, besides, we'll see each other again,"  
"Soon,"  
"Hopefully not too soon." He kissed her knuckles softly and died peacefully.

Hermione ran as fast as her aging legs could carry her through St Mungo's. She turned left at a corridor and then right at a sign that read Palliative care. She turned into a private room when she saw a shock of blonde hair. Scorpius, Rose and two small children stood at his bedside. Rose noticed the tears on her mother's face and turned to her husband. "Come Ron, come Astoria," she led her husband and two children out of the hospital room.  
"Draco,"  
"Hermione," she sat at the squashy armchair next to his bed, "You got my letter then?"  
"Yes,"  
"Are you willing to-?"  
"It's the very least I could do for you Draco."  
"Thankyou so much."  
"So how do I?"  
"The spell I wrote in the letter,"  
"It isn't dark arts is it, there's no trace on it, I won't go to Azkaban?"  
"No," he chuckled, "Nothing like that,"  
"I can't believe it's come to this."  
"Me neither."  
"Are you ready?"  
"Can I ask you two things before I die?"  
"What?"  
"First, I've willed my entire Gringotts vault and estate to your old vault; please make sure you and our children and grandchildren are taken care of."  
"Of course,"  
"Secondly, and I know it's pathetic I'm even asking, but would you kiss me?"  
"What?"  
"One kiss, in my entire lifetime,"  
"You still love me?"  
"Always. You were the only one."  
"I'm sorry Draco, I can't."  
"I know, I shouldn't have asked." There was an awkward silence. "I think I'm ready now."  
"Okay," she made to raise her wand,  
"There are six letters in my top drawer, one for each of our children and grandchildren, one for you and one for my lawyer detailing the division of my assets. Please make sure you hand-deliver each of these, they are not to be owled."  
"Consider it done."  
"Okay, I'm ready."  
She raised her wand again and before the word was even on her lips his hand had sought the one hanging limply by her side, fingers entwined and given it a gentle kiss.  
"Go."  
"_Sedo excessum_."  
Tears drifted down her face as she replaced his hand to his side and leant down to press her lips to his. She turned back to look at him as she left the room and could have sworn she saw a smile ghost his warm deathly lips.

AN: Something different, completely everything compliant, even the epilogue. Sedo excessum translated means Smooth death.


End file.
